question

You went to language school, you lived in Canada for a while, you tried to speak English only, and you are still not quite content with your English? Please read in this Culture Shock post how to sound like a real Canadian. There is no problem without a solution, eh?

Eh is a useful word that is the basis of all Canadian communications and will make you sound totally Canadian. It is used at the end of the sentence in order to give your opinion and receive agreement from the person you talk to, like “I hate rain, eh!” It can also be a statement of an unchangeable fact where agreement of the other person is not necessary: “It’s always raining in Vancouver, eh!” You can make your sentence sound like a command: “You come to my place tonight, eh!” You can use the little word at the end of your phrase as a sign for your wish to initiate further conversation. It can be used for anything like “right? Isn’t it?”

In case you started speaking your sentence already but in process decided that you actually wanted to ask a question, you can turn your whole sentence into a question by adding eh. Easy! “The weather is nice today, eh?” Of course you can add eh to a normal question “What does it mean, eh?” The same way you can insert it in any of your phrases like “Thanks, eh! / Sorry, eh!”

But you also can use EH on its own; here are some examples:
Eh! = OK
Eh? = sorry, what did you say?
Eh? = what do you think?
EEH!! = hellooo!
Eeeh! = oh yes, I understand
Eeehhh!! = wow!
Eh! = sure!
Eeh? = not sure…

Like this:

Hi, my Name is Claudio and I am the brand new intern at INTERNeX. I am working at the PR-department and my job is to organize events in and around Vancouver and to inform via blog.

I am Italian but I was born in Germany and I live in Germany. After I completed my training as an accountant I started to study.

Now I am here in Canada to make the experience of my life and to improve my English skills. I’ve decided to make my internship here in Vancouver because it is a beautiful and exciting city. Vancouver and surrounding area offers also an infinite number of activities and my opinion is that British Columbia has the most beautiful and natural landscape in the World.

I arrived here last Saturday and today was my first working day. And I already know that this was the best decision that I have ever made.

I look forward to the time here and I hope to see you soon at one of the many beautiful events of INTERNeX. You can also find me on Facebook – search: Claudio Internex

Yesterday Lauren and I had the pleasure of meeting Ali, a 21-year-old student from Turkey. When he walked into the office smiling, we could immediately tell that he had a great personality! As he sat down to chat with us, his casually unbuttoned shirt defined his easy-going attitude and we could tell he was enjoying his time in Vancouver!

Why did you decide to come to Canada?I came here to continue my education in filming! I moved here alone but also have a friend and cousin living in Canada.

How did you find out about INTERNeX?I attended a language school and they referred INTERNeX for a work placement.

What program are you currently participating in?I am in the Hospitality program, and I work at Blenz as a Junior Barista and have been employed there for six months.

Do you like Hospitality program offered by INTERNeX?I do. I recommend it because it’s better than finding a job by yourself, they give support and offer guidance.

What do you enjoy about your job?
I get to meet new people every day.

What skills do you use at work?I interact with people daily so I must have great personal skills and also I have to be able to focus and multi-task.

What would you tell others about Canada as a country?I would say that this country is a mix of Europe and America, it is a beautiful country. This is my first time in Canada and I love it because it’s very organized. Everything is safe, people obey the rules. Explore a new country as soon as possible, it’s very different! There’s lots of new culture and language.

What kind of activities have you done since living in Canada?I’ve been snowboarding, to Whistler and to Stanley Park!

What are your plans for the future?I plan on living in Canada for awhile and attending university for communications and filming.

Last night was a great time at the Calling! A bunch of us met up around 7 p.m. for Trivia night, a weekly event they host. The bar was packed and everyone got into groups to participate in the trivia game.

They asked a variety of questions, including general knowledge, music trivia and television trivia. We had fun trying to answer the questions but there were some other groups that clearly ate their wheaties that morning. If you’re looking for a fun night then Wednesday’s at the Calling isn’t a bad place to try out! You can win free pitchers of beer and other prizes for winning trivia rounds with your group.

Around 11 p.m. we headed over to English Bay and had fun at the beach, the temperature was pretty mild last night! I had a great time meeting new people and I’m look forward to seeing everyone out again in 2 weeks!

It was a little busy last night, so I think on May 26th we’re going to try out a different bar, maybe even a club! Stay tuned for more details on that! Check out some of the pictures from last night!